An influential American senator, Chris Coons, has accused President Mnangagwa of not ‘walking the talk’ to introduce promised democratic reforms to clear the way for free and fair elections due by August.

Coons was a member of a delegation of US senators – members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – which visited Zimbabwe early last month. Coons said that, in lengthy talks with the delegation, the president had pledged himself to promote democracy, free and fair elections, to protecting human rights and to returning to a rules-based open economy.

Coons’ comments come amid apparent differences between Mnangagwa and military commanders suggested by the chaotic Zanu PF preliminary elections – run by the military – which saw some the the President’s allies defeated.

Mnangagwa’s adviser Christopher Mutsvangwa has refused to accept his defeat in the primaries, complaining of an unconstitutional use of police as election returning agents, accusing them of ‘uninhibited rigging’. Mnangagwa backed him up with a statement that he didn’t want the police or any arm of the security establishment to help with any party function, which would amount to a flagrant violation of the law.

A Vigil activist just returned from Zimbabwe says the whole political process is diseased. The election campaign by all sides was largely driven by self interest to the detriment of the nation.

He told us that he had been offered some inducements by potential parliamentary candidates in exchange for financial support. ‘Zimbabwean politics is just a process of opening doors to facilitate corrupt self-interest', he said. He added that talk about a free and fair election by the military backed regime was 'mere talk' in the absence of electoral reforms.

Thanks to those who came early to set up the Vigil by putting up the banners and looked after the front table throughout: Margaret Munenge, Patricia Masamba and Alice Majola.

The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded over the past 15 years as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil for £10. All proceeds will go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe's work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

Zimbabwe Action Forum meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

Campaigning outside Zimbabwe House on a chilly, overcast day was no compensation for missing Thomas Mapfumo’s Saturday concert at Glamis Stadium in Harare – his first home gig for 17 years.

What was a compensation, however, was the typically forthright interview he gave to the Daily News in which he dismissed the presidential transition from M to M as ‘cosmetic changes’ and called on young people to ‘rise and stand up’ to claim their country.

‘The people want a good leader — a man who is not a thief, a man who does not steal from the people, a man of the people, a man who will stand for the people, a man who will stand for the poor,’ he said.

Mapfumo added that it was impossible for the current leaders, in the twilight of their careers, to clear up the mess they had created in nearly four decades. ‘After 14 years away in the US, I come back to see people living in squalor, people are selling anything on the street and everywhere there are potholes. Amidst the poverty, you have others smartly dressed in suits and driving beautiful cars,’ he said. (See: http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/mapfumo-blasts-ed-government/).

‘Cosmetic changes’ is the message the Vigil gets from family and friends in Zimbabwe. Nothing has improved except the banditry of police road blocks which even the Zanu PF government realized was deterring tourism and prospective investors. The MDC MP Eddie Cross points out that, despite the promises of the new regime, ‘not a single significant case of corruption has been initiated’.

He goes on: ‘The Army may be back in the barracks but believe me their control over most of what is going on in Government has not changed at all, in fact it may be more open and pervasive. We are headed for a “smart election”, not free and fair in the conventional sense but one which will be controlled and directed by the same team that won the 2013 elections. Its outcome is being predicted with total certainty as being a two-horse race with Emmerson Mnangagwa the clear winner, Nelson Chamisa a close second and the also rans miles behind.

‘But I think they will be able to claim after the election that the “people have spoken”. The fact that they had their hands tied behind their backs, were subjected to a constant steam of propaganda and their basic needs delivered on a “command basis” by the military in mufti, will be very difficult to see and the international Community will begin to recognise the new regime once it takes over.’ (see: http://www.eddiecross.africanherd.com/180426.html).

Other points

Vigil activists were outside the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House on Monday to give an alternative view to people attending a talk by the Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister General Sibusiso Moyo. The meeting was attended by British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Catriona Laing, who accepted one of our flyers and stopped to discuss the situation. Thanks to those who took part in the demonstration: Bianca Mpawaenda, Dennis Benton, Patience Muyeye, Patricia Masamba, Rose Benton, Rosemary Maponga, Sharon Moyo and Tozonziani Musanhi.

Thanks to those who came early to help set up: Jonathan Kariwo, Michelle Makoni, Barnie Mandimika, Rosemary Maponga, Bianca Mpawaenda, Fungisai Mupandira, Sally Mutseyami, Jennifer Senzere and Pearl Shambare. Thanks to Rosemary and Bianca for looking after the front table, to Pearl, Michelle, Jennifer and Simon Nyanhi for handing out flyers and to Jonathan, Barnie, Jennifer, Pearl, Rosemary and Bianca for putting up the banners.

The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded over the past 15 years as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil for £10. All proceeds will go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe's work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

Zimbabwe Action Forum meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

The Commonwealth is reported to have agreed to a rescue mission for Zimbabwe at its meeting in London this week during the visit by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo.

The London weekly newsletter Zimbabwe Confidential says Commonwealth countries hosting exiled Zimbabweans have agreed to organize airlifts back to Zimbabwe to allow them to vote in the elections, expected in July or August.

The decision follows General Moyo’s announcement that, although no date has yet been announced for the elections, it was too late to organize voting in the diaspora as Zimbabwe’s diplomatic missions are hardly ever open and staff had not been approved by the Israeli Nikuv company which traditionally arranges Zimbabwe’s elections.

The UK’s ‘fly to vote’ operation is expected to be funded by its foreign aid budget and the new Zimbabwe Airways, apparently connected to the Mugabe family, will provide planes. All travel arrangements are in the hands of Vice-President General Chiwenga’s wife Mary and the diaspora will cast their ballots at a special polling station set up by the military on the Agriculture Rural Development Authority seed farm she recently seized near Harare.

The Vigil has done exhaustive research and is sorry to say that this is all fake news, or what we used to call Herald or ZBC news. We are particularly sorry because this scenario is the only way we can see that the millions of people in the diaspora will be able to exercise their constitutional right to vote and because it reflects our skepticism about the running of the elections.

We at the Vigil have been busy following General Moyo’s visit to London (see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/press-releases/934-zimbabwe-vigil-media-release-19th-april-2018-). As we gathered outside the Embassy today there was an unusual amount of activity at the normally recumbent Embassy and we were told that Moyo was there and that it had been suggested that he should come out and speak to us. He didn’t appear. We questioned those coming out and learned that it was an open meeting for the diaspora but when our activists tried to get in they were turned away. So much for ‘open meeting’. It was open for Zanu PF supporters only.

Other points

After a bitterly cold early Spring, we are experiencing a mid-April heatwave and would advise General Moyo and his coterie that it looks ridiculous in London to wear a woolly scarf in this weather – even it’s only in slavish imitation of President Mnangagwa who seems to have adopted the custom of wearing a scarf in Zimbabwean colours.

Vigil activists will be outside the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House on Monday when General Moyo is to speak. Check ‘Events and Notices’ for details.

The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded over the past 15 years as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil for £10. All proceeds will go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe's work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

Zimbabwe Action Forum meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

Murky dealings surrounding bankrupt Air Zimbabwe and the newly created Zimbabwe Airways have shone a light on the corruption and deceit at the heart of the Zanu PF government.

The fiasco was brought to a head on Wednesday when a secondhand Boeing 777 arrived at Robert Mugabe International Airport from Malaysia, apparently one of four planes bought for what some reports say was $70 million.

Transport minister Joram Gumbo said the plane belonged to Zimbabwe Aviation Leasing Company owned by Zimbabwe Airways, which is linked to the Mugabe family through the deposed president’s son-in-law Simba Chikore, former boss of Air Zimbabwe. Gumbo said the money had come from the diaspora.

But a totally different picture was given by finance minister Patrick Chinamasa who was at the airport for the arrival of the 12-year-old plane. He said it had been paid for by the government. ‘We kept the deal under wraps to avoid the trap of sanctions’, he claimed, although Malaysia has never imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Reports say President Mnangagwa ordered that the plane be parked with Air Zimbabwe’s fleet while the matter is investigated. Certainly, a lot needs to be clarified. It was interesting that Mugabe’s daughter Bona was at the ceremony with her husband, who was wearing the uniform of a airline captain. They are presently building a mansion on the top of a hill in northern Harare on land originally owned by the government, which had planned to build a school there.

Of course, no one expects any important Zanu PF figure to end up in jail, whatever they have done. The extraordinary indulgence shown towards former police commissioner general Solomon Chihuri proves this.

A parliamentary hearing was told this week that Chihuri had ordered the seizure of a safe containing diamonds worth millions of dollars belonging to a company which had been forced to enter a partnership with the police to mine the Chiadzwa fields. Of course, all the people in positions of responsibility at the time deny that they knew anything about the matter. Some seem to suggest they didn’t know what a diamond is and they had never heard of Chihuri or the police. Of course Chihuri himself didn’t turn up at the hearing.

Now we hear of an unfolding scandal about former army commander Vice President General Chiwenga’s wife Mary. It appears that she will be a busy lady, having been awarded a multi-million dollar contract ‘to provide travel arrangements for the office of the president and cabinet’. Since Mnangagwa has adopted the non-stop travel agenda set by Mugabe, she will have little time left to visit the farm she recently seized from the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority, which was meant to help meet the country’s demand for seeds.

Vigil supporters will have a busy time over the next week. The Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Dr Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo will be at a reception at the Zimbabwe Embassy at 6 pm on Wednesday 18th April to mark Zimbabwe Independence Day. Vigil supporters will be outside the Embassy from 5.30 pm to press our message for reforms to ensure truly free and fair elections.

Vigil supporters will also be present at a protest outside the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Pall Mall at 11.30 am on Thursday 19th April. We understand Foreign Minister Moyo will be attending as an observer. We will be joining Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) who are organising a protest about human rights problems in Swaziland. See ‘Events and Notices’ for full details.

Thanks to those who came today and put up and took down the banners and posters, looked after the front table and handed out flyers to the passing public: Junior Madzimure, Michelle Makoni, Barnie Mandimika, Debra Ncube, Faith Ndhlovu and Sipho Ndlovu.

Protest at Zimbabwe House reception. Wednesday 18th April from 5.30 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. The Embassy is hosting a reception for Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo from 6 – 8.30 pm and we will pressing for reforms to ensure truly free and fair elections.

Protest outside CHOGM. Thursday 19th April from 11.30 – 1.30 pm. Venue: outside the Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX. King Mswati III is likely to be there for the Commonwealth Summit. (19th April is also Mswati’s 50th birthday.) It is an opportunity to protest about human rights problems in Swaziland and the Commonwealth’s failings when it comes to dealing with the country. The protest is organized by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and they ask that members of the Zimbabwe and Swaziland Vigils join them. For more information, check: http://actsa.org/actsa-takes-action-at-chogm-protest-on-swaziland-19th-april-2018/. Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo is also attending and we will press our message for elections reforms in Zimbabwe.

The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded over the past 15 years as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil for £10. All proceeds will go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe's work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

Zimbabwe Action Forum meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

Britain is reported to have adopted a radical new approach to Zimbabwe at odds with United States policy. A London-based fortnightly newsletter Africa Confidential says Britain is now promoting the idea of a write-off of Zimbabwe’s debts in exchange for a commitment to reform.

Until now Britain, like the United States, has insisted that new loans to Zimbabwe should be contingent on Zimbabwe settling overdue payments on its $9.4 billion debt to international financial institutions. This, however, is beyond Zimbabwe’s current means because of its massive government budget deficit.

Britain has been backing the so-called Lima plan as a way forward. This would involve new loans to Zimbabwe to repay the overdue money so that Zimbabwe would once again qualify for more loans. But for this to happen Zimbabwe would be required to make deep cuts in government expenditure, including the civil service payroll. President Mnangagwa has made only faltering movements in this direction and, with an election on the horizon, is unlikely to risk unpopularity, hence Britain’s reported support for a debt write-off.

It will probably be prepared to stump up a large part of this itself from the £14 billion (nearly $20 billion) a year it is currently distributing in foreign aid. But whether other donors would be willing to trust Mnangagwa’s promise of reform must be doubtful.

Africa Confidential says Britain’s proposal is not motivated solely by altruism. It says London would like to include Zimbabwe in plans to broker trade deals with African members of the Commonwealth when it leaves the European Union next year. It is encouraging Zimbabwe to rejoin the Commonwealth.

There has been no confirmation of the report from British government sources, which have denied accusations that Britain is biased towards President Mnangagwa.

For its part, the United States has taken a much more robust line towards Zimbabwe, extending sanctions and demanding extensive electoral reforms, including the reconstitution of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the prohibition of soldiers from campaigning for Zanu PF.

Thanks to those who came early to help set up: Enniah Dube, Deborah Harry, Patricia Masamba, Sharon Moyo, Bianca Mpawaenda, Farai Mutumburi, Patience Muyeye and Tryness Ncube. Thanks to Bianca, Patience and Tryness for looking after the front table, to Rosemary Maponga, Farai and Nyarai Masvosva for handing out flyers and to Enniah, Patricia, Sharon, Bianca, Farai, Patience and Nyarai for putting up the banners.

Swaziland Protest. Thursday 19th April from 11.30 – 1.30 pm. Venue: outside the Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX. King Mswati III is likely to be in the UK for the Commonwealth Summit (19th April is Mswati’s 50th birthday). It is an opportunity to protest about human rights problems in Swaziland and the Commonwealth’s failings when it comes to dealing with the country. The protest is organized by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and they ask that members of the Zimbabwe and Swaziland Vigils join them. For more information, check: http://actsa.org/actsa-takes-action-at-chogm-protest-on-swaziland-19th-april-2018/.

The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.

The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded over the past 15 years as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil for £10. All proceeds will go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe's work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

Zimbabwe Action Forum meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.

Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.